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Side by side

Olaplex Nº.5CURL Bond Shaper Hydrating Curl Conditioner vs Virtue Labs Curl Conditioner

88% function match · 8 of the 10 functions we compared match Formula overlap 55%. Olaplex Nº.5CURL Bond Shaper Hydrating Curl Conditioner and Virtue Labs Curl Conditioner share 4 ingredients among each other's most prominent.

Based on your consultation

Which of these fits your hair?

We check your pattern, moisture need, scalp, fragrance tolerance, weight sensitivity and more against each formula — and say which one lines up.

Your profile at a glance

  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here

When each one is the right call

What each formula is built for, from its own ingredient list.

  • Nº.5CURL Bond Shaper Hydrating Curl Conditioner — maximum slip
  • Curl Conditioner — maximum slip

Side by side

Every trait, aligned

One row per trait, read from each product’s own ingredient list and record. A dash means we have not researched that field for that product — it is not a “no”.

Trait
Olaplex Nº.5CURL Bond Shaper Hydrating Curl Conditioner — 8.45 oz container Olaplex

Nº.5CURL Bond Shaper Hydrating Curl Conditioner

  • Conditioner
  • Prestige
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Virtue Labs Curl Conditioner — container, alternate view Virtue Labs

Curl Conditioner

  • Conditioner
  • Prestige
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$16 3.38 oz · $4.73/oz
$18 2 oz · $9.00/oz
Value / price positioning
Same job for less elsewhere $$$$$ Prestige tier · costs more than 89% of the 689 conditioners we’ve priced
Same job for less elsewhere $$$$$ Prestige tier · costs more than 99% of the 689 conditioners we’ve priced
Best for hair types
Wavy–Coily The brand’s own claims name curly or textured hair. Your hair
All types Nothing in the formula or the claims narrows this to one pattern. Your hair
Moisture level Differs
High Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here. Your hair
Low Humectants appear, but low enough to be a minor part. Your hair
Oils and butters Same
Low Oils are present, but low enough to be a finishing touch. Your hair
Low Oils are present, but low enough to be a finishing touch. Your hair
Slip / detangling Same
High Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula. Your hair
High Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula. Your hair
Weight on hair Same
Medium Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair. Your hair
Medium Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair. Your hair
Fragrance
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. Your hair
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. Your hair
Protein Same
Minor Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient. Your hair
Minor Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient. Your hair
Silicone / wax buildup Same
High Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them. Your hair
High Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
High Your hair
High Your hair
Hard-water defence Same
Chelators present Chelators are present — they bind hard-water and pool minerals. Your hair
Chelators present Chelators are present — they bind hard-water and pool minerals. Your hair
Formula completeness
out of 10
Complete for its job
out of 10
Complete for its job
Who should choose this
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
  • Silicone-free routinesno silicones appear in the list
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
  • Silicone-free routinesno silicones appear in the list
  • Cuticle-smoothing pHa pH adjuster brings it to the acidic range hair prefers
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Stretching wash dayswaxes stay until a detergent wash removes them
  • Dry or very humid airwhere heavy humectants work against you
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Very dry or damaged hairit contains fast-drying alcohol
  • Stretching wash dayswaxes stay until a detergent wash removes them
from the formula stated by the brand reported by reviewers Scale: 1 dot low · 5 dots high, within this product type.
More facts about each one
Type
Conditioner
Conditioner
Line
Nº.4CURL/Nº.5CURL Bond Shaper
Curl
Where to buy
Brand website
Brand website
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • curly-method compatible
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • curly-method compatible
Vegan
—
Not vegan · ingredient list
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described

Facts as we recorded them. A dash means we have not researched that field for that product — it is not a "no".

The bottom line

The bottom line depends on your hair

Which of these two suits you is a question about your hair, not about them. The consultation answers it — and tells you what your routine needs around it.

Take the consultation

$49.00 once, for your consultation and hair profile. No subscription, no required purchases.

The detail behind the table

Where the readings above come from: the ingredient lists themselves, each brand’s claims checked against them, what owners report, and cost per ounce in context.

Shared and distinct ingredients

Shared and distinct ingredients

Computed from the ingredient lists as printed. "Shared" means both lists carry it; where it sits on each label is stated, because position is what tells you how much.

What both formulas carry

IngredientNº.5CURL Bond Shaper Hydrating Curl ConditionerCurl Conditioner
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Cetearyl Alcohol
Softens
#2Leading
#2Leading
Glycerin
Moisturizes
#3Leading
#34Below the 1% line
Brassicamidopropyl Dimethylamine
Detangles
#6Supporting
#3Leading
Hydrogenated Ethylhexyl Olivate
Softens
#7Supporting
#10Secondary
Cetyl Esters
Softens
#8Supporting
#5Supporting
Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Wax
Buildup
#27Secondary
#42Below the 1% line
Jojoba Esters
Buildup
#28Secondary
#32Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Nº.5CURL Bond Shaper Hydrating Curl Conditioner

Curl Conditioner

Full ingredient list — Nº.5CURL Bond Shaper Hydrating Curl Conditioner (62)
Full ingredient list — Curl Conditioner (68)

Claims check

What each brand says, against what each formula shows

Claims are quoted from each brand. We only mark one supported, partly supported, or conflicting when that product’s ingredient list actually speaks to it.

VerdictsNº.5CURL Bond Shaper Hydrating Curl ConditionerCurl Conditioner
Supported
2
2
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
2
4
Potential conflict
0
0

Nº.5CURL Bond Shaper Hydrating Curl Conditioner

  • Instantly strong, infinitely defined, 7-day hydrated curlsSupportedHelps hair feel hydrated.
  • Clinically proven: stronger hair/less breakage in 1 use; defined curl pattern in 1 useStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • 50% less frizz in high humidity; 96% agree hair was easier to detangleStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • Seals the cuticle to lock in hydration and block out damage and frizzSupportedHelps hair feel hydrated.

Curl Conditioner

  • Sulfate FreeSupportedGentler on colour and coils.
  • Paraben FreeSupportedPreserved without parabens.
  • Phthalate FreeStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Synthetic Color & Dye FreeStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Gluten FreeStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Cruelty FreeStated by brandWorth checking on the label.

What owners say

What people report

Recurring themes our researchers wrote in their own words from sourced reviews. We do not store or scrape star ratings, and we never balance one product’s themes against another’s by inventing them.

Both praised for slip, frizz control, and curl definition. Olaplex Nº.5CURL Bond Shaper Hydrating Curl Conditioner draws complaints about weight and breakage; Virtue Labs Curl Conditioner draws complaints about the packaging.

Nº.5CURL Bond Shaper Hydrating Curl Conditioner

Reviewers with curly hair describe the conditioner as rich and moisturizing yet rinsing out cleanly without weighing curls down

curly-hair reviewers

Reviewers using the full Nº.4/Nº.5 curl system together report improved curl definition and reduced frizz, including on chemically-altered or post-chemo curl texture

reviewers with atypical/newly-curly hair texture

Reviewers report hair feels noticeably softer, more hydrated, and easier to detangle/comb through after use

A minority of reviewers report disappointment relative to Olaplex's core Bond Maintenance line, describing hair left feeling coarse/hay-like

Some reviewers with low-porosity or fine/oily hair report the system feels heavy or greasy and does not work well for their hair type

low-porosity/fine or oily hair reviewers

Curl Conditioner

Reviewers with curly, wavy, and high-porosity hair report improved softness, curl definition, and bounce

curly/wavy/high-porosity hair

Reviewers with fine or fine-medium curly hair say it conditions without weighing hair down, unlike other curl conditioners they have tried

fine/fine-medium curly hair

Frequently praised for reducing frizz and leaving hair tangle-free

Some reviewers criticize bottle/pump packaging as impractical despite liking the formula

Price check

Cost per ounce, in context

Cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced, each at the size it is most often sold in. Value labels are computed from that percentile and from how many products that do the same job cost less; they are comparisons, not judgements about a brand.

$4.73/oz vs $9.00/oz — Virtue Labs Curl Conditioner costs about 1.9× more per ounce than Olaplex Nº.5CURL Bond Shaper Hydrating Curl Conditioner.

$0.09/oz median $1.60/oz $56.25/oz $4.73/oz Nº.5CURL Bond Shaper Hydra $9.00/oz Curl Conditioner

Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 689 conditioners with a computable unit price.

Value readNº.5CURL Bond Shaper Hydrating Curl ConditionerCurl Conditioner
Label
Same job for less elsewhereYou are paying above the range for a formula close to several lower-priced options.
Same job for less elsewhereYou are paying above the range for a formula close to several lower-priced options.

Computed from cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced, and from how many products that do the same job cost less. It is a comparison, not a judgement about the brand.

Compare with something else

Close formulas to each of these, as their own comparison pages.

Nº.5CURL Bond Shaper Hydrating Curl Conditioner vs SOFT BOUNCE NATURAL TEXTURE & CURL CONDITIONERR+Co · 98% function matchCurl Conditioner vs NOUNOU ConditionerDavines · 98% function matchNº.5CURL Bond Shaper Hydrating Curl Conditioner vs Scalp Remedy ConditionerVirtue Labs · 98% function matchCurl Conditioner vs SOFT BOUNCE NATURAL TEXTURE & CURL CONDITIONERR+Co · 88% function matchNº.5CURL Bond Shaper Hydrating Curl Conditioner vs DAMAGE SHIELD Protective ConditionerK18 · 96% function matchCurl Conditioner vs Ghost ConditionerVerb · 88% function matchNº.5CURL Bond Shaper Hydrating Curl Conditioner vs Plumping Deep ConditionerMelanin Haircare · 95% function matchCurl Conditioner vs Scalp Remedy ConditionerVirtue Labs · 87% function match

Nº.5CURL Bond Shaper Hydrating Curl Conditioner · Curl Conditioner · All conditioners in the library

How this page was made

  • This page is assembled from the same researched records the individual product pages render: identity, each ingredient list as printed, each brand's own claims, dated price observations, and review themes written in our researchers' own words. Nothing on it is written per comparison.
  • We do not rank these against each other. Which of them suits you depends on your hair, and that is what the consultation works out.
  • The formula similarity percentage is a stored, precomputed number: position-weighted overlap of the two ingredient lists blended with agreement on the attributes we derive. It measures how alike two formulas are, not how well either works.
  • The value band is a fixed label over two stored numbers: this product’s cost per ounce as a percentile of every product of this type we have priced, each at the size it is most often sold in, and how many products we score as doing the same job cost at least a quarter less per ounce.
  • The "Is this right for you?" panel reads only your own consultation answers, and it applies exactly the filters our recommendation engine applies. It is computed when you load the page and is never stored on it.
  • 11 sources were consulted across the products on this page.
  • Ingredient order tells you relative amount only above roughly 1%. Prices are observations on the dates shown and change without notice. We do not sell these products and take no placement fees.
  • This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.

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